Wringer



P. E. BARKER Aug. 9, 1927.

WRINGER vFiled Nov. 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nga fr @Y W B. .mw y P P. E. BARKER Aug. 9, 1927.

WRINGER Filed Nov. 24, 1924 2 sheds-sheet. 2

g1/wute@ pecg E, Barker Patented' Aug. 9, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-..1

P'ERGY E. BARBER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 ARTHUR' B. i BETZ, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WRINGER.

Appuation mea November 24, 1924. serial No. 751,828.

larlya Wringer which is movably mounted upon a washing m'achineor other suitable support and operatively connected with an electric motor o1" power transmitting mechanism. The general purpose o f my invention is tof-provide means adapted to safeguard wringing operations, primarily the lo operator, and secondly the goods and the wringingand operating mechanism. Thus my conception involves the use of means adapted tov disconnect or throw-off the power automatically and 'instantly upon or by 15 shifting the Wringer bodily from a predetermined working position. This idea applied to a power Wringer rotatably mounted upon a washing machine, permits the Awrinker to be immediately thrown out of action by moving the Wringer in a short arc from its operative position, either by pulling it forwardly or pushing it back. To illustrate, when a hand is caught in the goods and is being drawn into the Wringer the is to draw t-he hand and body away from the vWringer, and this natural impulse is utilized in the present invention to shift the wringer and disconnect it from the power operating mechanismi Inapplyin the present invention to a rotatably adgustable Wringer, I .have also made suitable provision to permit the power to be automatically disconnected when the Wringer is turned out of any one of its adjusted working positions.

In the "accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a power washing machine carrying a Wringer embodying myv invention. 1 Fig. 2 is an... enlarged sectional 'view of the sectional operating shaft and the gear mechanism fory operating a Wringer, including my improved self-releasing device, the parts being shown in the position when the sectional shaft is disconnected `and the Wringer inoperative. Fig. 3 is aside view and section of a vmodificationinvolving an electric switch adapted to cut off theF power at its source. Fig. 4 is a top view of a wringermounted to swing above and to one side of a washing machine, the radial dotted lines showing the approximate degree of are movement within which'the power is c'ut off when the Wringer is vbodily dis/placed from the working position shown in full lines.

Fig. 5 ,is a side' view yshowing partly in natural impulse of the person endangered section,l of the wringenandmy improvefr ment, the Wringer being operatively connected to thel power transmitting shaft lin this view. f

The present invention is applicable Lto various kinds and types of power driven wringers and washing machines, but is suited especially for awashing machine 2 having a Wringer 3 rotatably mounted in an upright position at one side of the tub or washing receptacle, substantially as exemplified in Fig. 1.,l In this commonA type of washing machine it is customary to employ an electric motor-4 adapted to operate the-washing or agitating devices within the `tub and the Wringer alternatively. In the presentcase it suffices tol say that a power transmitting shaft 5 is housed in a tube 6 lheld rigidly at its. upper end in a bracket `7at one side of tub 2, and that a short extension 8 forshaft 5 extends upwardly vthrough an uprightl standard 9 and a gear box 10 which (carries wringer'.4 The reduced lower portion 11 of l make, and such wringers usually lcomprise apair of wringing rollers 14--14 adapted to be rotated inopposite directions alternativelyI or to be thrown out of action by a set of selective bevel gears 15 and a clutch 16. However, clutch 16 can not always be reached or operated in an emergency, or the. person endangered may not have the presence of mind to release clutch 16 in a crisis, and therefore, I have devised a simple .expedient for disconnecting the Wringer from power shaft 5 by a movement imparted to the Wringer itself.

Thus, I mount a collar or sleeve 17 rotatably upon the upper end'of bearing tube 6', and the base portion 18 of this collar is enlarged and provided with one or more beveled lugs 19 at'its bot-tom, preferably but not necessarily reversely beveled. The top of bracket 7 is formed with sloping recesses or de ressions 20 adapted to receive and nest said ugs, thus normally permitting the col- Standard 9 has an annular enlargement or shoulder 21 adapted to rest upon the upper edge of collar 17; consequently whenv said collar is rotated initially the inclined or beveled lugs at the bottom thereof will raise the collar and standard jointly al suiiicient dist-ance to. separate the clutch member 12-'12, therebydisconnecting the wringer operating extension 8 from power transmitting shaft 5. However, collar 17 must be locked to the standard if the collar is to be rotated by shifting the wringer, and any suitable locking means may be used for that purpose. In the present instance I employ a bolt 22 slidably supported at one'side of standard 9 and operatively' controlled by a pivoted lever or handle 23,- the" lower end of` the bolt being adapted to enter any one of a series of radial notches oropenings 24 in the top of the annular flange or base port-ions 18. When the bolt is in locking engagement with collar 17 Athe wringer will become inoperative if the wringer is bodily shifted from an operative position, but if a different operative setting of the wringer is desired, bolt 22 may be raised to permit the supporting standard of the wringer to rotate independently of collar 17 whichwill remain stationaryl because its bottom lugs 19 are nested within and interlocked with fixed bracket 7.

Thus the wringer may be rotated from notch to notch in collar 17 without rotating the collar or disconnecting the power shaft,- and when rotated to a new position the bolt will again lock the parts togetherand thecollar will then function to raise the standard providing the Wringer is turned in y either directonfromits given working pothat shown and other modifications may be l made without departing from the scope of the invention. To exemplify, another form of the invention is shown in Fig. 3 wherein sleeve or collar 17 is seated upon a bracket 26 carrying a spring-pressed lunger 27 which is adapted to engage the eveled lug at thebottom of the collar. Plunger 27` is held in a depressed position collar remains seated in its low position upon the bracket, but Whenever the collar 1s rotated and rides to a higher plane the plunger will be lifted by spring 28 and in so doing open an electric switch 29, thereby cutting oif the power or the electric motor 4 used to operate the washing machine or wringer.

l/Vhat I claim, is:'.

1. A wringer having la rotatable supportlng standard and a power-transmitting clutch, a device adapted to throw out said clutch, when the wringer and standard are jointlyrotated, said standard bein freely vrotatable independently of said devlce, and means adapted to lock said device to rotate with said' standard.

Y12. A wringer and a standard adapted to support the same rotatably, a power shaft extending through said standard having a disengageable clutch, a bracket and a rota` table collar thereon, 'said bracket and collar vhaving inclined portions adapted to raise said standard when the wringer is shifted, `and means adapted to releasably fasten said collar and standardtogether. f 3. A wringer having a supporting 'standard rotatable to different stationary positions, power transmitting mechanism for the wringer yextending through said standard,

the power upon initial rotation of i the as long as theY electric current for means adapted to automatically throw oft' wringer from any one of its given stationary positions, and a controlling-device adapted to disconnect said automatic throw-off means to permit said wringer to be rotated to different positions without disconnecting it from the power.

yIn testimony whereof signature.

lPintor E. BARKER.

Iihereby affix my I 

